WEDNE33AY EVENING. DECEMBEC 1 i. The democrats of Clarke county may well be proud of their repre?anlative in the legislature, the solitary member of the House of Delegates who voted agaioBt the resolution requesting the Virginia delega? tion in Congress to vote for the repeal of the internal revenue sjstem. Mr. Mocre very properly says: The question is whether wa shall avoid the rapidly accumu? lating surplus in the Treasury by abol? ishing the internal revenue Dystem, or by reducing the tari?'. The present tariff is a most oppressive, uiij?et, and un justifiable use of the taxirjg power, and is at variance with sound principles of politi? cal economy, and violative of the constitu? tional rights of the people, and that while he thinks the tax sbonld be removed from law tobacco, be does not think It should be rt moved from whiskey. Mofl true democrats a^reo with Mr. Moore. People rich enough to drink whiskey shculd coriaiuly not ob? ject to paying tho tax imposed on it by the intern...

WEDNESDAY EVENING, DECEMBEE 14. LOCAL NEWS. For this section warmer, threatening weather, with rain, light to fresh northeast? erly winds increasing in force, with bri ek to hi h winds on the coast. CITY COUNCIL.. After a three week's interval, a regular meeting of the City Council was held last night. BOARD OF ALDERMEN President Strauss and all the Aldermen were present and one spectator only watch? ed tbe deliberations of the board. A resolution providing that in future the regular meetings of Council be held on tho second Tuesday in each month (laid over at the last meeting; was read, when Mr. Leadbeater moved to lay tho resolu? tion over for the present, for tho reason that the amount of business now before the Com? mittee on Fiuance renders it necessary for Council to meet twice a month for some : me at least. His motion was adopted. Mr. Bryant offered a resolution protesting Bgainst tho passage of a law by tho Legisla? ture of Virginia increasing the salary of the Judge of the...

W EBNES AY EVENING DECEMBER 14. A 6T0BY AbuTJT Beeches.?Abraham Lincoln once (old a good lory ubnUt Henry Ward Be?cner, who. dressed in common clothes, was siudyiig human nature as ex hibi ed in the highways ami hyways ifNew Yore. In the cotir-e of his philosopb c uerenrinHiionB tie went into a m?ck auction HtM'p He atoi-rl a while on entering, ami reflected, dnubtles^, how any one could he r.o lost io all sense of truth and honesty an thr> auc ioneer in queation, endeavoring 10 ?hIoi < fT hit. worthlet-s lra?h to tbe inexpe ti. uced in city way* as good and valuable, and finally the aucioneer called out: "Mr. Beecher, why don't you bid?" He w?3 ureatiy astouished, as can t>e imagined, at Unding himself known iu this place, and, hh he supposed in bis i urposely careless dress. He immediately left, and started for the resilience of one of the members of the cbnreh in the neighborhood, and requr s:< d Mm, as an act < f kindness, to go down at d inquire of that pers n wh...

AjL"EXA.lST>RIA.. THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 1"., THE protectionists say a high tariff in creases wages. That it doe3 not is proved by the pattnt facts that wages are higher to frse trade England than in any of the taritJ <? mntries of Europe, and that the highest wages in this couutry are paid In the un? protected trade?, such as bricklaying, phi3 i rfri-jg, carpenlering.blackstDit hing, painting, printing andother3, while the lowestare paid ia the mrst protected industries--the factories and mines. Bat, even were it otherwise, ?nd if wages in all mechanical labor were Increased by a high tariff, no body pretends that it increases those of farm laborere, and yet in numbers the latter exceed the termer by many millions, and the basic principle" of this country is the good of the toany in preference to that of the few. Thk TAX on whi>ky is the ftire3t and easiest that caD bs laid, for the reaaou that its payment is entirely voluntary. Then. H o, an esftfir.tia! principle of ...

C~5 . THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER IS. LOCAL NEWS For this sertion rain ti day, followed by much c licr, clearing w.a'.lur. fresh t'j brisk north? westerly winds. An Alexandria Colored Man.?John .-ediou, of the Equitable buildirjg Is 6 feet 6 inches io height and weighs oOO pounds. Everything he wears, including his clothes, bis boots, his shoes, his hat and his shirts, hss to be made to order. "I know my great n has secured remunerative positions for me ail my life," said Seaton the other day. ? I was born in Alexandria, Va., nearly fifty years ago. I was a carpenter by trade, and tuok a great deal of interest in politics. At onetime I was elected Alderman of Alex? andria, and was tha first colored man tbeic a o ever hold an e'eclive position. Some r tbe politicians down there wanted to ro ward me tor services and for political -|,tithes that I I ad made, and they secured m-a pb cein i tie Treasury at Washington. My -1 ? attracted attention as I pass< d ovension \ along Pennsylvan...

TH?RS DAY EVEKING. DECEMBER 16. The Class inScbjptcbes.'?A lady asked one of the children in her Sunday-sobool clasa "What was the ain ol the Pharisee?" ' Eating camels, ma'am," was the reply. The little girl had read that the Pharisees "atrain ?d at gnats and swallowed camels." "In what condition was the i atriaroh Job at the end of his life?" questioned a teacher of thestolid Jer king boy at the foot of tho class. "Dead,'' wan the quiet response. "What U the out? ward and visible sign in baptism?" a?ked a lady of herSunday Bchoo! class. There was silence for t>ome seconds, and then a gir! broke in trumphantly with, "Tee baby, please, ma,'am."?Chambers' Journal. A Lesson in Physiology.?A pupil in one ff the public schools of the city com p ied recently in the fallowing manner with ?i n quest to wiite a composition on the sub j ct of a physiological lecture to which the school had just Iis ened: "The human body is made up olthe head, the thoiax and the abdomen. "The head contains...

.ILKX ANDRIA. FBIOAT EVENING DECEMBE2 it'.. 'THE gdn3 of Sumter never waked a -U-eping nation more thoroughly to an aler; usd resolved purposo of 8e>*f defence than have tne recent utterances of this Admioi tiation. For mveef, 1 r?j'ice tbut thi awakening ha- cme. I bel.evo and fee' that when tbia puow melts there will come h H ori which will sweep democracy out ol power, and with it the bas*. corrupt founda ii'..-:i?of that power in theNrW South. I hop* .r h restoration of boueal suffrage and po^i lien1 o'eanlines*, without which we mu*t re main forever, bs at present, a mockery aud acorn and shame upon the pretence of a popular government. But if the people of your 8b':'it)u *i-h it they mm! do it withou hoping f??rho'p i' om the Sjtid Smth." So wrote Mr. Johu S Wise.of Virginia, to the convention of Northern rot ub?can o:uls that as*euib!ed in N^w York yesterdav And ye; Mr. Wise was an ultra domocrui until the democrats r f Ric'rmond preferred Qdnerai Jo9epb E Johnston to uim ...

FSIDAY EVENING, DECEMBER IG. LOCAL NEWS. For this set t on fair weither, colder Saturday worning, followed by slowly rising temperature, ;;,fkt lo ireab northwesterly winds, becoming va? riable. Special Election*.?A special election was held in the Third ward yesterday to fill a vacancy io the Common Council from : that ward. Mr. C. J W. Summers was the democratic nominee and was opposed by ilr. B. F. Waddey. There were G82 votes pjlled of which Mr. Waddey received 376 aud Mr. Summers 805. 294 of the votes ! were cast by colored men. It* the demo? crats bad turned out they could have easily e ected their candidate. It is under? stood tbat Mr. Summers will contest tbe ele; ii'iu on the grounds that tbe official no tice, as published, read that the eleciiou would be ht-M on Wednesday Dec. 15, whereas the 15-.h was on Thursday, and that th* polls ware closed at 4.23 o'clock instead of at sunset, 4 42. It is said by some of Mr. Waddey's friends that be will probably not qualify as a Cou...

FEI AY FVKNING DECEMBER- 10. Attempted Poisoning in Madison.-Ie Mr.disou county last week near Nether'; Mills, Mr. A. M. House gave a soup warm ing at his distillery, as ia the wont in that neighborhood at the close of the season. Someone placed poison, which was sup posedj to be arsenic, in tbe soup, oeveral of thoBe present, among tbe number Mr Charles House and Mr. George Dillard were for a while in a very dangerous condi tion, and others, though made very sick were less a?ected. Grave suspicions res' upon certain parties, but no arrest bad beer made so far as we cr u d learn at the time o K-oing to pTesa.-Charlottavitle Jeffersoman Powdeely Veby III?Mr. Powderly', condition last night was regarded as critica by his physicians. He was seized with an other hemorrhage yesterday afternoon. I is not knowD that since his return to bi home in 8cranton, Pa., he has slept very lit tie, and is very nervous and restless on tba account, and is also very weak in conee quence of the hemorrhag...

" "PI ALEXANDRIA. SATURDAY EVENING. DECEMBER 17. PBK8IDBNT9 McCosh, of Princeton Col? lege; Adams, of Cornell ; Sumner, of Yale ; E io?, of H> rvird ; Barnird, of Columbia; aed Potter, of Hobart, al , toc, in ihe North, the manufacturing Eectiou (f the country, the lubor and producta cf which are protec ed by the tariff, and McBryde, of the Uci v -rsi y of South Caroina, unite in the high - e^t possible commendation ol tbe President's recent wi3e and just tnedBage.rec mmeuding tbe removal of the tarill on the oeccesiries of lif ?, and the retention of the tax on whis? ky. But the Solons composing the Virginia legisature, representing the people of an agricultural State,tbe people whose labor and products are not protected by the exist high tariff, so far from agreeing with tho did tinguished educators above meetionedonthe sutject referred to, differ with them entirely, take directly opposite ground.-, and instruct Virginia's representatives iu Congress to vote for the repeal of t...

SATURDAY EVENING DECEMBER 17. Who Clave the Most? A. haughty king, of former days, Lod ed 10 commemorate his prsiso Through all the coming ages. What would adorn his royal name? How best perp?tuato his famo On time-enduring pages ? Would monument or storied urn Teach all the world his worth to learn ? Ambition vaulted higher. A va t cathedral should proc'aim Who gave to God the most?that name Be carved on base and spire. This glory ho would not divide With any mortal. In his pride It must be his alone. 'Twas finished, and on chancel wall His name ou tablet gleamed, that all The gracious deod might own. Boforo the chancel rail that night In dream he stood ; and saw tho light Was dim ; but dimmer grew Tho inscription o tho tablet's face, When lo. blazed forth to take his place, A name no never knew ! In waking hours ho lightly thought On nightly vis ons Wht u he sought >ext time his pillow's rest Tbo self same dream he dreamed again. "Who mirs my work.'' he cried, in pain, "Or mock...

ALEXANDEIA. MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 1U. Cor. Berkeley, of Farmville, a Mahone ile. immediately after the late election, wrote a letter to General Mahone's chief mpporter among the Northern republican press, the New York Tribune, in which he accused the democrats of his county of pre? venting"* free vote and fair count," or words to that effect. But now that the Col? onel has had time to reflect, he is convinced ol the fact that his charge against bis own neighbors was utterly groundless and un? just, and was calculated to do his county and his State material injury, and bo be writes another letter to the Tribune with drawing it. In the latter letter Col. Berke Icy nresents a marked and moet favorable c. >ntra?t to Capt. John Wise, who not only writes letters to, and makes speeches in, the Norlh.containing even more ur just and un? founded charges agaiost the people of bis own State than those brought by the Colo? nel, but who never retracts them. The Gazette has heretofore quote...

MONDAY EVENING, DEC EM BEE 1!? LOCAL NEWS For this section warmer, fair weather, light to fresh easterly winds, followed by rain. _ DEATHS.? Mr. David G. Watkins, well and favorably known in this community and through the surrounding country, died at his home, "Strawberry Hill," in Fairfax county, Dtar this city last night, tfan aflec tictn of the kidneys, having been con lined to hi? bed for about ten days. Mr. Watkins, was in the 7G b year of his age, was for a DUiuher of yearn, iu early life a butcher, but buI sequeutly JEent into the milling burine." with his brother. Mr. J. H. Watkins, (who has been dangerously ill fjr sometime) and continued in that business up to tb*? time of bi? death He ???< a prominent member of He Commercial Exchange ami ti c cenini '?Uocle Davy," ns he was railed by tbe merchant?, will be missed and his death d> verely regretted by all who kne>v him Hin funeral will take place from his Into residence to-morrow afternoon at 1 o'clock! Mr. Michael...

MON AY EVENING DF.CEM EE 19. Burned to De vth ?It wa>! staled iu ihe t'AZETi r. a it w d-j n eine-- that two children had h? -, i urutr.i to death io Kiug George County. The fuiiuwing particulars are taken from a letter from csbiloh, in the : Northern Neck Ntnvi : "Toe family of M*r. Lemuel Spilman, resi? ding a miie below this place, were aroused about twelve o'clock on Tuesday night to find their dwelling nearly consumed by fire. The fl-tmes had advanced bo far that the iris>bte:ied mother, in the ahseucs of her husband, had time to catch up only one of.] her children and hurry from the burning building. Two other chiidreu, Be-sie, aged H*veo, aud Carrie Fieet aged four, sleeping in another room, could not be rescued aud perished iu the flames. Mrs. S., in ber fran? tic efforts to riave'her two little girl?, whose ilv ing st reams she could hear tnrough the r .nr of the fire, was so badly burned that her recovery is considered ?cU'-tful. The fu'oiture and all the clothing of...